Brie Gertler

Brie Gertler is a philosopher who works primarily on problems in the philosophy of the mind. A mind-body dualist, she is presently a teaching associate professor at the University of Virginia. Her special interests include introspection, consciousness and mental content.

Among Gertler's other fields of study are epistemology and the philosophy of language. She has written a book, "Privileged Access" (2003), is editor of the "Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science" section of the "Philosophy Compass" and co-directs the Philosophy Research Network.

Education and Employment

Gertler has written numerous papers on her research and is a seasoned book reviewer. She received an BA with High Honours in Philosophy from Swarthmore College in June 1989 and an MA at the University of Pennsylvania three years later. In June 1997, she was granted a PhD by Brown University.

Gertler first found employment as an assistant professor at The College of William & Mary, where she worked from 1997 to 2001, before moving on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a leave of absence from her role as an assistant professor, she settled into her present job, at which she has worked since 2004.

"In Defence of Mind-Body Dualism"

To the thirteenth edition of the Joel Feinberg- and Russ Shafer-Landau-edited "Reason & Responsibility", Gertler contributed a paper in support of dualism. It explored the fundamentals of the mind-body problem and defended her philosophy against charges of "spookiness". Her argument is founded on the claim that, in feeling pain, we know the essence of the mental state of pain.

Awards

* University of Virginia Summer Grant (Summers 2005, 2007).
* Fellow, Institute for Research in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin (Autumn 2004: declined).
* University of Wisconsin Summer Research Funds (Summers 2002, 2003).
* College of William and Mary Summer Grant (Summer 2000).
* NEH Stipend to attend a seminar on folk psychology, led by Robert Gordon University (Summer 1999).
* NEH Summer Grant (Summer 1998).
* Brown University President's Award for Teaching Excellence (Spring 1996).

References

* Gertler, Brie. "In Defence of Mind-Body Dualism." In "Reason & Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy", edited by Joel Feinberg and Russ Shafer-Landau, 285-297. California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.

External links

* [http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/Gertler.htm Brie Gertler's profile at the University of Virginia]
* [http://people.virginia.edu/~bg8y/ Brie Gertler's home page at the University of Virginia]
*